Why this ride
On the way it passes The Duruma Kayas, Kaya Kinondo and back through The Duruma Kayas. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Kaya Jibana and Kaya Kinondo
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 188 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 29
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Kaya Jibana
A kaya is a sacred forest, and for the Mijikenda peoples of the Kenyan coast it was once much more: a fortified hilltop village hidden in the trees, a place of ancestral graves, ceremonies and council. Kaya Jibana, belonging to the Jibana community, sits in the hills inland from the coast between Mombasa and Kilifi, and it is one of a group of kaya forests listed by UNESCO in 2008. People no longer live inside, but elders still guard it, and entry is regulated by customs that visitors should respect: guides, permission, and no cutting or taking.
Read the complete Kaya Jibana write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kaya Jibana is where the day begins. Next is The Duruma Kayas.
2. The Duruma Kayas
Inland from Mombasa, where the coastal plain begins to climb towards the dry bush of the interior, small islands of dense forest stand out from the farmland and scrub. These are kayas, the sacred forests of the Mijikenda peoples, and the Duruma kayas belong to one of the nine Mijikenda groups. Together with others along the coast they were inscribed in 2008 as the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests.
Read the complete The Duruma Kayas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Duruma Kayas comes up about 34 km into the recorded legs. Next is Kaya Kinondo.
3. Kaya Kinondo
The beaches of Diani are famous for white sand and turquoise water, and a short walk inland a forest that is older than the hotels keeps its own rules. Kaya Kinondo is the last sizeable fragment of the coastal forest that once covered the southern coast of Kenya, and for the Digo people it is a sacred grove, the place where their ancestors settled and where the elders still perform ceremonies. It is one of the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests, inscribed in 2008, and it differs from some of the others in having a well-organised community programme, run by the Digo elders, which lets visitors in with a guide.
Read the complete Kaya Kinondo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 98 km into the recorded legs you reach Kaya Kinondo. Next is back through The Duruma Kayas.
4. back through The Duruma Kayas
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Duruma Kayas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Duruma Kayas, late in the day. Next is Kaya Jibana.
5. Kaya Jibana
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Kaya Jibana write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Kaya Jibana. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Kaya Jibana to The Duruma Kayas
Kaya Jibana → The Duruma Kayas is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Duruma Kayas to Kaya Kinondo
The Duruma Kayas → Kaya Kinondo is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Kaya Kinondo to back through The Duruma Kayas
Kaya Kinondo → back through The Duruma Kayas is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Duruma Kayas to Kaya Jibana
back through The Duruma Kayas → Kaya Jibana is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.